Picture this: A huge shark is hoisted onto a research boat. Three people rush to secure her—to stop her from thrashing around and getting hurt. Who are these people? Why have they brought a shark on deck? Are they… sitting on her?

Two of the participants in this crazy scene are Brooke Anderson and Beckah Campbell. These brave scientists conduct research at the Sulikowski Shark and Fish Research Lab at ASU in Glendale. Wait. People research sharks in the desert? Yes!

This reporter was able to attend their presentation at the Young Report Night in March. Even though their research is based in Arizona, Anderson and Campbell work with sharks all over the world.

The researchers’ goal is to figure out where sharks go to give birth. Some sharks that Anderson and Campbell work with are endangered. Think of Anderson and Campbell as shark heroes, working to protect both mother sharks and their babies.

A typical research trip involves catching sharks. Once their team catches a shark, they lift it up onto the boat. To stop larger sharks from getting hurt, they sit on them.Sometimes, it takes three people to sit on a shark! While the shark is above water, the researchers insert a special machine into the shark’s mouth that allows them to breathe.

Next, the team gives the shark an ultrasound and attaches a tracker. (An ultrasound is a kind of x-ray that uses sounds that humans cannot hear. The sound waves bounce off the baby sharks so that Anderson and Campbell can see them inside the mother).

The sharks become calm once they are secured. Still, Anderson and Campbell’s team try to take only five to 10 minutes to complete their research, to keep the sharks from getting “stressed out.” Anderson and Campbell love their jobs. They even have favorite kinds of sharks! Anderson’s favorite shark to study is the porbeagle, a relative of the Great White. Anderson likes these sharks because they are unique. Campbell’s favorite shark to study is the Caribbean reef shark. Campbell gets to contribute to new research, because little is known about these mysterious sharks.

So, there you have it! Researchers in the Arizona desert are fearlessly working to protect sharks every day!